Sleigh Bells

by Miller, Judith Mccoy

  When the singing had ended, Phillip walked to the podium and began his sermon. He spoke about deceit and broken relationships among humans, comparing those to man breaking his relationship with God. His words were eloquent, but as Teddi listened to the words, she wondered if the sermon was aimed at her and the occurrences of the previous night. Surely he couldn’t have written and delivered so powerful a sermon with only a few hours of preparation. Or could he? If the sermon dealt with personal events and feelings, he may not have needed much time at all. Her mind was racing by the time the service ended, and when they finally reached the back of the church, she noticed Phillip looking her way as he was shaking hands with one of the soldiers.

  “I’m not going to make it for dinner today. There’s something I must attend to immediately,” he hurriedly explained.

  Teddi noticed him looking at someone behind her as he spoke, but didn’t turn to look. It might be Herbert, and she didn’t want a scene before she spoke privately with Phillip.

  “I truly need to talk to you, Phillip. Isn’t it something that could wait just a couple of hours?” she asked. She didn’t want to keep him from his pastoral duties, although she couldn’t keep the sound of urgency out of her voice.

  “Are you ill? Your color doesn’t look good,” he said while taking her hand.

  “I didn’t get much sleep last night. Were you at the ball? I never did see you,” she continued as the line formed be-hind her.

  “Yes, I was there. If I don’t have time to stop by your house today, we can talk at work tomorrow,” he said, nodding toward the crowd that was gathering to shake his hand.

  “Yes, of course,” she quietly replied.

  What else could she do but agree? It was obvious he wasn’t going to change his mind. Turning to leave, Teddi permitted herself a quick look over her shoulder. Helen Hanson stood directly in Phillip’s line of vision, her hand raised to cover her mouth as she whispered something to Mattie. Teddi watched the twosome as she stood waiting for her parents in the vestibule of the church. Their whispering was continual, as was Helen’s obvious admiration of Phillip. Her stare remained fixed on him until Teddi and her parents left the church.

  “I’d be pleased to take Phillip’s place at your dinner table,” Herbert said when General Yorke had gone to fetch the sleigh.

  Isabelle turned on her heel and pointed her finger in Herbert’s face. “You are not welcome at our dinner table or in our house. Leave Teddi alone, or you’ll have my husband and sons to contend with, Herbert, and I know you don’t want that. Since you’ve already shown what you’re made of, I’m sure you’ll want to avoid a confrontation with the Yorke men!”

  Herbert merely nodded and gave them an evil grin. “Remember, Teddi, things aren’t always what they seem. I’m going to look very appealing to you in a short time.”

  “What does he mean by that?” Isabelle asked as Clayton arrived with the sleigh.

  “I don’t know, Mother. He’s said several strange things about the future.”

  “Was that Albright I saw?” Clayton asked as he assisted the women.

  “Yes, Father, but I hope Mother has made it abundantly clear he should stay away.”

  They rode home in silence, except for the sound of the jingling sleigh bells. But even the bells didn’t improve Teddi’s mood. What was so important that Phillip couldn’t spare her a few hours? Helen Hanson? She was standing there and waiting after church.

  Her brothers and their dates came alongside them in another sleigh and immediately challenged Clayton to a race.

  “To the Republican River Bridge and back. How does that sound?” Clayton called out.

  “Sounds good,” Jonathan yelled as he slapped the reins and moved ahead before Clayton could say anything further.

  “Turn this sleigh around, Clayton. I need to get home. We’re having guests for dinner,” Isabelle ordered.

  “Your guests are all in that sleigh we’re racing, Isabelle, so sit back and enjoy the ride,” Clayton replied with a boisterous laugh, obviously delighted with the competition.

  Teddi was as disgruntled as her mother with the lighthearted race that her brothers and their girlfriends seemed to be enjoying. She wanted to go home and spend time in her room thinking, and perhaps talk to her brothers and see if they had heard anything or could help solve this riddle. But they were too busy enjoying themselves to be concerned about her problems, she decided.

  By the time they reached the bridge, Clayton had gained and the horses were neck and neck as they began their turn. Clayton brought his team around, keeping them in a tighter turn, and when they were back on the straightaway, he was in the lead. Teddi pulled the buffalo robe up around her mother and noticed a familiar sleigh coming toward them, headed toward Junction City. The sun was shining brightly, causing a blinding glare as it hit the whiteness of the snow. Cupping her palm above her eyes, she stared off in the direction of the sleigh. She was right; it was Phillip. Phillip, Helen Hanson, Mattie, and Herbert? She turned around and stared after them, unable to believe her eyes. However, just when she was sure it couldn’t possibly be true, Herbert stood up in the back of the sleigh and waved.

  What was going on? What reason would Phillip have to be in the company of those three people? And why would he want to be with them rather than her? He had said there was something he had to attend to, but what business could he possibly have with them?

  “Was that Phillip?” her mother asked, a look of astonishment crossing her face.

  Teddi nodded her head, but remained silent. Her stomach began to roll, and she felt bile rising in the back of her throat.

  “It looked like Helen and Herbert in the sleigh with him,” Isabelle continued without noticing that Teddi had grown unusually quiet. “That couldn’t be, could it?” she asked, now looking at her daughter.

  “You really are ill. I should have permitted you to stay home from church this morning. Hurry up, Clayton. We need to get Teddi home,” Isabelle shouted to her husband.

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m in a race, Isabelle. These horses won’t go any faster, or they’d already be doing it,” he hollered back over his shoulder.

  “Well, find the quickest route home,” she commanded, unwilling to allow him the final word. “Not much longer, dear,” she said to Teddi in a soothing voice. “We’re almost back to the fort.”

  Within a few minutes, Clayton pulled the team to a halt and jumped down to help Teddi out of the sleigh. “Let me help you upstairs,” he said, placing his arm around her waist as they walked into the house and up the stairs.

  Isabelle stopped in the kitchen to issue a few orders to Florence; then she secured a pitcher of fresh water and a cloth. That accomplished, she scurried up the steps, nearly spilling the water on Clayton as he was leaving the bedroom.

  “Let’s get you out of that dress,” Isabelle said as she entered the room.

  “I can’t move right now, Mother. I’ll take off my dress as soon as I feel a little better,” Teddi groaned. “Go take care of your guests. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’m going to have Jonathan bring up a bell so that you can ring if you want me. There’s a fresh pitcher of water right here if you need it. When you’re ready to get out of your dress or if you want something to eat, just ring the bell.”

  “Fine, Mother, but I really don’t think I’ll need you.”

  Arguing would serve no purpose. If her mother decided a bell was needed, there would be a bell in the room! Teddi rolled over and watched the door. No matter how awful she felt, she wanted to speak to Jonathan. Moments later her brother appeared at the door dangling a bell between his index finger and thumb.

  “You rang?” he asked while jingling the bell. “How are you feeling?”

  “I’ll be all right. I think it’s more a lack of sleep and a series of unsettling circumstances that have me upset. Have you talked to Phillip?”

  Jonathan shook his head. “Just for a minute at church, but he seemed preoccupied with the cr
owd, so I said we’d see him for dinner later. That’s all. I didn’t see him at the party last night. You did find him, didn’t you?”

  “No. I thought he was the Irishman, but it turned out to be Herbert. It’s a long story, and I’m sure Mother will share all the gruesome details at dinner. When I’m feeling better, I’d like to talk with you.”

  “Just let me know when you’re ready. Now get some rest, and maybe you’ll feel strong enough to come down later and join us,” he instructed as he left the room.

  The sounds of laughter and clanging china floated up the stairway as Teddi relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.

  thirteen

  Phillip squinted his eyes against the brilliance of the sun glistening on the expanse of chalky-white snow that stretched before him. He could feel his heartbeat increasing as blood pulsed through his veins. His head was pounding. Taking both reins in his left hand, he massaged his right temple, then switched hands and began rubbing the left side of his head. It was at that moment that he noticed two sleighs racing toward him, and one of them was strikingly familiar.

  Straining, he kept his gaze fixed upon the sleigh on the left. Surely it couldn’t be. But as the two teams raced alongside each other, he knew his eyesight hadn’t betrayed him; it was the Yorkes, and Teddi was looking in his direction. He turned his head, hoping she wouldn’t recognize the sleigh—or him, for that matter. But he knew it was unlikely that they would go unnoticed, especially when he turned and saw Herbert standing up and wildly waving his arms at Teddi.

  “Sit down before I knock you down,” Phillip shouted over his shoulder.

  “Just wanted to be sure Teddi saw that you were in such fine company,” Herbert shouted back.

  His words and the evil laugh that followed reinforced what Phillip already knew. This whole group was up to no good, and he was going to find himself smack in the middle of their depravity. He had fallen prey to Helen’s conniving plot at every turn, from following her outdoors the previous night, to having Herbert Albright in his sleigh at this very moment.

  Mattie seemed somewhat distressed with the situation, but Phillip realized that Mattie would do whatever Helen ordered. The poor girl was obviously afraid of losing the only friend she had, but too shallow to realize that Helen didn’t even know the true meaning of friendship. He didn’t know if there was any way Mattie could help, but even if she could, he doubted his ability to win her allegiance.

  “Where are we going?” Phillip finally asked when they had arrived in Junction City.

  “Mattie’s house. There’s nobody home, and we can talk privately,” Herbert replied, pointing for Phillip to turn east on First Street and then motioning him to turn in beside a small frame house.

  Helen and Mattie jumped down from the sleigh as Phillip tied the horses and followed Herbert onto the front porch of the modest home.

  “My parents will be home by five o’clock. You’ve got to be out of here by then,” Mattie warned as she opened the front door and permitted them entry.

  “This won’t take long. I’m sure Phillip is going to be very cooperative,” Herbert sneered, leading them into the parlor.

  Herbert and both of the girls removed their coats, but Phillip remained encased in his heavy, wool greatcoat, removing only his gloves and hat.

  “Sit down, sit down, my good man. We’re not going to torture you, merely have a civil little chat,” Herbert said in a cunning voice.

  Phillip obeyed the command by perching himself on the edge of a padded wicker chair, certain that he wanted to take flight and even more certain that nothing good was going to come from this meeting. Absently twirling a lock of hair around her finger, Helen was poised on the sofa with Herbert flanking her on one side and Mattie on the other. All three of them turned and focused their attention upon him.

  “It seems you’ve caused a bit of a problem in my life, and, fortunately for all of us, I’ve found a reasonable solution. I think it will make all of us happy, perhaps with the exception of you, Phillip. But since you’re a man of God, I’m sure you’ll learn to adjust, and in time you may even be thankful for what is going to occur. And when that time comes, please remember that you have me to thank for your good fortune, not God,” Herbert said.

  “There’s no need to blaspheme,” Mattie whispered.

  “Poor, dear Mattie. She’s afraid God is going to strike her dead for her part in this little charade. I can’t seem to convince her otherwise. Why don’t you give her your assurance that she’s not going to burn in hell for merely corroborating Helen’s statements?” Herbert said, his tone condescending.

  “Mattie knows the real truth and also knows how to avoid burning in hell, don’t you, Mattie?” Phillip asked.

  Mattie nodded her head. “Reverend Lewis says you have to accept Jesus into your heart as your very own personal Savior and repent of all your sins, and if you do that, you’ll go to heaven,” Mattie replied.

  “And have you done that, Mattie?” Phillip asked in a kind voice.

  “Oh, shut up,” Herbert angrily interrupted. “This isn’t some tent revival, and you’re not going to save her soul while I have more important things to take care of. You have something that I want, and you have something that our sweet, little Helen wants. Now, this can be a very simple thing if you’ll cooperate, or it can be very ugly if you don’t.”

  “How could I possibly have anything that either one of you wants?” Phillip asked.

  “If you’ll let me finish, I’ll tell you. Unfortunately, my poor wife of only a few months met with an untimely death, leaving me once again a single man. Since your arrival at Fort Riley, you’ve been pursuing the woman I intend to marry.”

  “What kind of a man are you? You’ve just buried your wife, and now you come here telling me you intend to marry Teddi Yorke. Well, sir, she’ll never have you!” Phillip exclaimed.

  “There you go, interrupting again. I have this all worked out, Phillip, and if you’ll just listen, you’ll soon see that she will have me. In fact, I dare say she’ll be thrilled that anyone would consider marrying her after the humiliation you’ve caused her.”

  Helen looked at Herbert as though he were a genius ready to solve all the mysteries of life, while poor Mattie nervously fidgeted about, jumping up and down to peek out the heavily layered, emerald green draperies and then returning to her appointed position beside Helen on the settee.

  “What are you talking about? I’ve done nothing to cause her shame or embarrassment,” Phillip defended.

  “Do you hear that, Helen?” Herbert asked, giving Helen a look of amazement. “Why, he’s already forgotten what he did to you last night. The scoundrel!” Herbert sarcastically exclaimed.

  “Phillip, don’t you remember last night in your sleigh? Although I protested violently, you took advantage of me—a poor, defenseless, young woman. You’ve stolen that which is most prized among all unmarried women. What man would want me now that I’ve been defiled? You have an obligation to marry me!”

  “That’s a lie, and you know it. I never laid a hand on you, although you used your wiles to try to entice me to do so. I’ll deny it. Nobody will believe such a story.”

  “Won’t they? Mattie, get back over here and tell Reverend Hamilton what you saw,” Herbert commanded.

  Mattie once again moved away from the window and back to the sofa. Sitting down beside Helen, she lowered her eyes and spoke. “I came outside looking for Helen when the two of you had been gone from the party for such a long time. When I got close to your sleigh, I heard Helen crying, saying that you had ruined her and begging you to marry her since you had stolen her virtue.”

  “You heard what? And what did I say, Mattie?” Phillip asked.

  “You? Oh, you said that you couldn’t marry her even though you truly wanted to, because she’s the most beautiful woman in the world.”

  After she had spoken the words, Mattie stopped for a moment and looked at Helen, her eyes seeming to seek out the other woman’s approval.

>   “Go on, Mattie. You’re doing a wonderful job. Tell him the rest,” Helen encouraged.

  Mattie nodded her head and gave Helen a smile. “You said you found Teddi Yorke completely undesirable, but you were going to marry her because you knew her father had inherited a lot of money, and one day you’d get your share of it. Then you said that marrying Teddi would probably help your military career, too, and that Helen had nothing but her beauty to offer. And then,” Mattie continued dramatically, “you said that you would keep Helen as your mistress.”

  The last words were barely audible, and Phillip strained to hear her declaration. He could feel the blood rush to his face as he jumped up from his chair, his anger barely under control as he moved in front of the trio of conspirators.

  “How dare you! Who do you think is going to give credence to this host of lies? I can’t believe that the three of you have collaborated to manipulate and ruin the reputations and lives of others in such a callous, unfeeling manner. What is wrong with you? Are you all so insecure and pitiful that you can’t build a relationship with another person except by deceit and lies? You’re a pathetic group of human beings.”

  Only Mattie looked uncomfortable with the words he’d spoken. Helen and Herbert merely glanced at each other, as if they had expected such a reaction and were quite willing to take it in stride.

  “I will not be a party to any of this. I won’t marry you, Helen. I won’t permit you to seduce Teddi under the pretense of lies, Herbert. And I won’t allow you to denigrate my name with your lies, Mattie. Now if that’s all you have to say, I’m leaving,” Phillip proclaimed.

  “You may want to give this a little thought. A court-martial could be an ugly smear on your good name. I’m sure Teddi Yorke wouldn’t consider marrying someone who left the military with less than an honorable discharge. And then there’s your reputation, Reverend. Whatever are your parishioners going to think of a preacher who would ruthlessly frolic about underneath the blankets of his sleigh while a party was going on only a short distance away? I don’t think they’d be very pleased. Shame, shame,” Herbert replied, shaking his finger at Phillip and giving him a depraved laugh.